News briefs

Zine workshop Friday

Those interested in publishing their own work can come to a zine workshop, open to all students at the Portland State campus on Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. in Smith Memorial Student Union, room 296. Marc Parker, an employee of the Independent Publishing Resource Center, a major independent media outlet in Portland, will be organizing the event.

The workshop, sponsored by Amnesty International, is taking place partly to celebrate the annual Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week, which started in 1982, usually takes place during the last week of September, but will last until Oct. 6 this year. The idea of Banned Books Week, started by the American Library Association, is to honor freedom of expression and to fuel cultural understanding through literacy.The Independent Publishing Resource Center, a nonprofit organization, gives those interested in creating independently produced media access to tools and information.

-Carly Nairn

PSU faculty contributes to book

Portland State faculty Gerald Sussman has contributed a chapter to the business book “Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy: Corporate PR and the Assault on Democracy.”

Sussman, who works in the Department of Communication and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, wrote a chapter in the book called and “The Globalization of Politics: Spinning ‘Democracy Assistance’ Programs”.

The book, published in 2006 by Pluto Press, is about challenging public relations’ role with the public, highlighting tactics public relations media use in order to put a slant on the truth and providing solutions to these problems.

Sussman’s contribution to the book is under the section “The Subterranean World of Power Brokers.” Sussman also authored the book “Global Electioneering: Campaign Consulting, Communications,” released in 2005.

–Carly Nairn

Olympians come to speak at PSU

Two Olympic athletes will be attending a fundraiser on Oct. 4 at Portland State to discuss experiences and inspirations in athletic training. The event, called “To the Olympics and Beyond” will help support one of the competitor’s pursuits at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The event will host Lisa Schlenker, three-time sliver medal winner in World Rowing Championship, and Lynn Jennings, three-time Olympic runner. Schlenker, who competed at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, is currently training for the lightweight women’s double sculls Olympic event.

Those who choose to attend the speaking event and fundraiser will also have the ability to bid on sports memorabilia and athletic apparel from top sports equipment companies. The event will be held in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom at 6:30 p.m.

–Carly Nairn

On-campus parking hits maximum capacity

The waiting list for full-time, on-campus parking permits at Portland State is more than four times the size of last year’s, after permits sold out before the first day of classes fall term.

The waitlist, which now contains around 225 names, was started after the Office of Transportation and Parking had reserved or sold all 2,000 full-use permits to students and staff by Sept. 21, said Sarah Renkens, the manager of the transportation and parking office. Last year, the same waitlist contained about 50 names.

Last year, waitlisted customers were given the opportunity to purchase a permit by about the second or third week of the term.

The demolition of the PCAT building recently eliminated about 55 employee parking spaces and additional pay station parking spaces in Parking Structure 3 has caused higher demand, Renkens said.

Students can reserve a permit on-line, and must pay for the sticker out-of-pocket when they pick it up in Neuberger Hall. Reservations for winter term will be accepted starting Nov. 21.

–Deeda Schroeder

Search for PSU Sustainability Coordinator

The search for a new sustainability coordinator at Portland State is expected to begin in a few weeks, and the position may be filled as early as November, said Robyn Pierce, PSU director of facilities and planning.

The position, vacant since former Sustainability Coordinator Dresden Skees-Gregory left in July, orchestrates all sustainable practices on campus, from recycling and composting to LEED certification on construction projects, and requires interaction with many groups of students, faculty, staff and administration. LEED standards are national standards for sustainable buildings.

Also vacant is the resource coordinator position, a post left absent by Kim Dinan in December. Dinan managed the university’s recycling program, among other responsibilities. Pierce said the position has not been filled in an attempt to save money that had been overspent in other departments, and will remain unfilled until a new sustainability coordinator is chosen.

The search will begin with advertising in The Oregonian, on sustainability websites and in other publications, Pierce said.

–Deeda Schroeder

PSU librarian elected president of the Oregon Library Association

Sarah Beasley, Portland State’s education and social science librarian, has been elected to serve a three-year term as the president of the Oregon Library Association.

Beasley, who served as the association’s president-elect last year, said she and the nearly 1000 other association members will be working towards updating libraries in order to make them an accessible and lucrative tool for school, public and academic use.

As president, Beasley will be responsible for improving library standards and developing state legislation guaranteeing access to information, improving literacy and protecting public access to library information within the state library service.

“People perceive the libraries as being all about books,” Beasley said. “But we’re expanding into places of continuing education, and I want people to see that.”

– Christopher J. Miller